The first time I saw Alien vs. Predator back in 2004, I thought we'd hit rock bottom. Then came The Predator in 2018, and… well, let's just say Shane Black had other ideas about what “bottom” meant. But this new poster for Predator: Badlands? It's doing something different. Something that makes me think Dan Trachtenberg might actually know what he's doing.
Again.
The Visual Promise
Look at this thing. “Welcome to a World of Hurt” plastered across the top like a dare. Below it, we've got what appears to be a Predator in full leap, wielding those signature wrist blades against a backdrop that's part alien wasteland, part fever dream. It's moody. It's atmospheric. It's everything the franchise has been missing since… honestly, since the original.
The composition tells a story. This isn't just another “alien hunter stalks humans in jungle” setup. We're looking at something that feels genuinely otherworldly—broken landscapes, twisted organic structures, and a sky that suggests we're nowhere near Kansas anymore. Or Earth, for that matter.
The tagline feels earned. Not clever for the sake of being clever. Just honest.
What We Actually Know
Predator: Badlands is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 7, 2025, taking over the slot that was previously held by Marvel's perpetually troubled Blade film. That date swap feels symbolic somehow—out with the endless development hell, in with something that actually got made.
Elle Fanning is in talks to star in Badlands, the next movie in the Predator franchise after Dan Trachtenberg's Prey impressed audiences in 2022. And by “in talks,” we mean she's already wrapped filming. Principal photography began in New Zealand by August 27, 2024, under the working title Backpack, and wrapped in late October.
The plot details remain refreshingly vague. A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Which sounds like exactly the kind of simple, character-driven premise that made Prey work so well.
Why This Feels Different
Trachtenberg earned his stripes with Prey, a film that understood something crucial about the franchise: the Predator works best when it's not the star. It's a force of nature. A catalyst. The real story happens to the people trying to survive it.
This poster suggests he's doubling down on that approach. The human figure—presumably Fanning—is dwarfed by both the Predator and the landscape itself. She's not posing heroically. She's not wielding some ridiculous future weapon. She's just… there. Vulnerable. Human.
Director Dan Trachtenberg says Elle Fanning endured ‘intense challenges' while filming ‘Predator: Badlands', which could mean anything from grueling action sequences to New Zealand's notoriously unpredictable weather. But it suggests a commitment to practical filmmaking that the franchise desperately needs.
The setting change feels significant too. The movie is also set to hunt down as many IMAX screens as it can, taking moviegoers on a stunning journey to a new alien world in the far future. We're apparently headed to an alien planet this time, which opens up possibilities that Earth-bound entries couldn't explore.
The Bigger Picture
What strikes me about this poster is how it doesn't oversell itself. No explosions. No tagline about being “the ultimate hunt.” Just atmosphere and promise. It feels like a horror movie poster, not an action blockbuster one.
That's smart. Prey worked because it remembered the original was a horror film first, action film second. This poster suggests Badlands hasn't forgotten that lesson.
The franchise has been through enough false starts and creative disasters that any optimism feels dangerous. But Trachtenberg has earned the benefit of the doubt. And this poster? It's the first piece of marketing in years that makes me want to see a Predator movie on opening night.
We'll find out if that confidence is misplaced on November 7th. Until then, I'm cautiously, surprisingly hopeful.
